My 18 years in Chengdu

Translation:

Is there any possibility that people may fall in love with a city because of a certain taste? The answer is yes. I fell in love with Chengdu because of the tantalizingly hot taste. My fate with Chengdu began over 18 years ago; I was studying Chinese culture in college, when I had a chance to come to China as an exchange student. There were two choices in front of me – Sun Yat-sen University and Sichuan University. Since I loved spicy food from an early age, I chose Sichuan University without hesitation, and that began my adventure in Chengdu.

Shortly after my arrival in Chengdu, seemingly still under the effects of jet lag, I was taken by a new friend to a roadside stall selling skewers of meat and vegetables cooked in a spicy hot oil mixture. Have you had this? That’s right, it is called “Chuan Chuan Xiang”. I was enlivened at the first mouthful. I’d never had this taste before. It numbed my tongue and was extremely amazing. Guess how many sticks the two of us had? Fifty? A hundred? No, we had more than 500 sticks of vegetables and meat! When the whole table was covered with sticks we really had a sense of accomplishment. That small “Chuan Chuan Xiang” stall was my first intimate encounter with the “ma la” flavor of Chengdu.

By the seventh year of my stay in Chengdu, I’d recorded a detailed food map in my brain. I was so familiar with every street and alley in this city and knew all the best restaurants for Chengdu food such as “Dan Dan Mian” and “Shang Xin Liang Fen”. It was in the same year, 2005, that the mysterious potential in me for eating spicy food was explored. One evening I was chatting with my friends at a bar when they asked me in jest, “You are very capable of eating spicy food, right? I Dare you take part in the ‘Chili King Competition’!” I didn’t promise them at first.

But then the next morning I got up and went to the competition. I thought, “If I can’t do it, who can? If I don’t do it now, when will it happen again?” It was the first round, with over 2,000 people signed up. The air was perfumed with fragrant chilies. According to the competition rules, participants who eat 30 peppers in the shortest time will advance to the next round. The heat rating of the “xiao mi la”pepper is 120,000 Schovilles. What was more difficult was that participants had to chew the chilies completely, the swallowing of whole unchewed chillies was not permitted, and neither was the drinking liquids during competition allowed.

Many participants could not take the first pepper, even I thought they were too hot. By the fifth pepper, I burst into tears and sweat, but continued. Shortly after that I heard people weeping and some had to withdraw from the competition, I felt my tongue gradually become numbed and swollen as I continued to eat. Eventually, I felt that someone had finished their peppers already, so I tried to speed up but it was almost impossible. Thankfully I noticed there were only a few peppers left on my plate, so I started to countdown in my mind, five, four, three, two, one, Finished! I actually ate all 30 of the peppers! And it only took me 2 minutes! I, an outsider, triumphed over 2,000 local people!

I was stronger than I could imagine!

From the first competition to the finals. From over 2000 competitors to only 10. Accompanied by sweat and tears, I completed the finals, eating 50 peppers in under three minutes, receiving a special award, and ever since possessing the “Chili King” name. Although a young man from the Yi ethnic group received the championship. People were more interested in me. As soon as I finished my last pepper, all the reporters ran over and asked me how I felt. I replied “La Can Lou” in Chengdu dialect, which meant I was dying from the heat of the chillies. Unexpectedly, because of these simple words, I was invited to become a television talk show host the very next day.

Before this, becoming a television show host was something I had not thought was possible of me, and I had never even considered it! I thought learning mandarin was boring when I arrived in Chengdu and heard people speak Chengdu dialect. So I skipped classes and rode an old 28inch bicycle in streets and alleys to look for authentic Chengdu life. I overheard people talking to learn their dialect. Guess what was the first Chengdu dialect that I learnt? “Lao Ban, Duo Fang Dian Hai Jiao!” (Please give me more chilies!)

I had a secret for learning Chengdu dialect – sitting in a teahouse for a day and listening to the old people chitchatting. At first, what they said was like “some vegetables what, what and what was five feet”, which made no sense. Gradually, things got clearer and I could totally understand what they were talking about. I liked to listen and take photos to give to them.

When I heard something that I couldn’t understand, I would repeat to myself quietly. My friend’s uncle said I was like a parrot when learning. It was true. At the beginning I was like a baby, babbling out my first words. Step by step, without being careful I became an authentic Chengdunese.

People always say Chengdu is a city you will never want to leave. Indeed. I planned to stay for a half year when I first came to this city. Then I decided to stay for another three to four years, but as of now, I’ve been living in Chengdu for over 18 years. I went from being a university student to being a television show host and hot pot restaurant owner. Many people ask me why I’ve stayed here for such a long time. I regard Chengdu as my second home, enjoy the relaxed life and local flavor. All I am lacking now is to become a local “pa erduo”, have a few children, and then I can finish growing up in Chengdu.

The opinions expressed do not represent the views of the China Daily website.

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